Lights from Above
by Apatheticanihilation
Summary: Chapter 7 is up and running. More mysterious characters, witty banter and some good old-fashion fight scenes are yet to come. Please come R&R, keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times and enjoy the ride.
1. Chapter 1

The sky clouded over

Hey so here it is. Please tell me what you think. I can't get enough of action and awesome fight scenes so I got bored and wrote this.

Chapter 1

The sky clouded over. Wakka turned to look at the mage behind him. Her black dress rippled in the wind as her ebony braids twisted through the darkening air. Alabaster skin shone vividly against the blackness that enveloped her. He looked into her only visible crimson eye. He knew instantly that something was terribly wrong.

"What is it Lu?" She slowly shook her head.

"I don't know, but we're about to find out."

Lightening split the sky and peal of thunder shook the ground. In that instant Wakka noticed a massive vortex stemming down from the clouds overhead.

"Up their!" he yelled, pointing to the anomaly in the sky.

He turned to Lulu to see her intense gaze already cast upward.

"Stand back Wakka, it's a sky wyrm."

Wakka looked at her incredulously.

"I'm not going anywhere Lu! We're in this together."

He looked back up to see a long emaciated creature break through the cloud tunnel, translucent wings extended menacingly. Wakka braced himself shifting his stance as he got ready to aim with his spiked blitzball.

The wyrm quickly plummeted toward the crouched blitzball captain and the stoic black mage. A tremendous screeching roar escaped the creature as it hurtled downward, its claws flexed and wicked tail whipping through the wind behind it.

In the next instant Wakka unleashed his lethal blitzball with all his might, it tore through the wind in a scathing arc. The Wyrm spun to the side just missing the ball and continued it's inexorable course straight to the ground.

Cursing his aim Wakka dove to the side just as the wyrm skimmed over the earth, flinging chunks of rock and dirt into the air as its sinuous body tore by. Wakka only had time to role back to his feet before he had to flip to the side to dodge the wildly flailing tail.

He caught his ball as it zoomed back toward him just as he landed. Looking over his shoulder he saw the slight figure of Lulu standing in the exact spot she had been and he marveled at the ability of someone so small to withstand such a massive creature.

"Wakka this isn't the time for mistakes!" She yelled over the howling of the wyrm as it arced through the air overhead.

"Maybe you should be worrying about the 40 foot monster that's trying to crush us right now!" He retorted, frustrated at her ability to be critical even in life and death situations.

Lulu had stopped paying attention to him however and had already raised her arms up to form a circle above her head. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as the magic circulated through the air, the windswept mage casting her arms in the air, sable tresses floating around her sanguine visage, the silvery wyrm contorted in the air above. Wakka could only stare in awe at the immense beauty and power that ensconced Lulu in that moment.

Then it had passed and a burning white glyph materialized on the ground directly beneath the wyrm, which shot up into it with an audible roar. The conflagration completely inundated the fiend in a blinding explosion of flame.

A few seconds later Wakka had recovered his vision enough to see the wyrm convulsing in agony as it fell toward the ground.

"Good one Lu!"

"It's not over yet." She said calmly, and as if on cue, the monstrosity righted itself mid-fall, flapping its wings wildly, creating powerful winds.

"Now Wakka! Strike while it's distracted!" She shouted over the tremendous gusts that were wracking the fields.

"My pleasure!" He called back as he started sprinting toward the foundering wyrm. With a few quick leaps he was atop a nearby ruin where he had a better shot.

"Take out the wings Wakka!"

"Right!" he called back, sending the spiky ball spinning through the air toward the vulnerable translucent wings. It struck perfectly this time, ripping clean through the side of one wing and nicking the edge of the other.

A horrible screech rang through the air as the wyrm cried out in anger. In the next moment it rose up into the air, body arched venomously.

"Lu?! I don't think that really helped too much!" He cried as he caught his ball again. Suddenly the wings began to shimmer violently and countless points of light shot from them into the sky.

"Wakka get down from there!" Lulu shouted just as the photon rays were tearing through the clouds directly above him.

Unable to move in time the searing light rays cascaded down upon Wakka annihilating the structure he was standing on.

………………………………..

As the dust settled Wakka suddenly realized as he opened his eyes that somehow he wasn't dead. Slowly he sat up in the burning rubble to see the entire world sheathed in glittering orange bars.

He sat up, aching all over from the fall but gratefully surprised to see that his body was still intact. Looking over at Lulu he saw the mage gliding through the flames toward him.

"Wakka, are you hurt?" Her normally controlled voice, wavered slightly as she said this. Looking up, Wakka saw lines creasing her otherwise perfectly featured face.

"Lu, are you actually concerned about me?" he asked with a grin as she cast her eyes frantically over his body to make sure there were no serious injuries. After his comment she leaned back, her patented, placid, aloof expression replaced on her visage.

"Of course not Wakka, I knew that by having you disable its wings the photon attack would be significantly weakened. After that it was no problem placing a shield spell on you to repel it."

Wakka looked around the incinerated ruins as she stood up and cast her gaze back toward the debilitated sky wyrm.

"Didn't look too weak to me."

Standing up, Wakka brushed ash and dirt from his yellow blitz uniform.

The shimmering orange bars of the shield spell had disappeared by now but he could still feel its power vibrating in the air around him, ready to spring to life at any moment. He could feel Lulu's presence in every tendril of magic that brushed around his body.

He would never tell her, but her loved every moment of it.

"Let's finish this." Lulu said, shaking Wakka from his reverie.

"Right!"

"I'll lay down a cover of thunder bolts for you, the shield spell should block any magic it throws at you, just worry about dodging any physical attacks. Get in close to gain accuracy and finish off its wings."

Wakka looked at the battle hardened black mage. Ebony colored hair completely obscured the side of her face as she looked at the wyrm. She turned to face him, throwing him off slightly with her intent glare.

"Can you handle that?" She asked severely.

"Yea, yea no problem, ya?" He said rather annoyed at the unnecessary question.

He turned, walking toward the wyrm just as it began slowly ascending higher, laboring violently with its tattered wings.

He slowly picked up his pace into a jog and then broke into a run as a dark, shadowy ball of energy began to form in front of its arched body.

"Lu! The gravity!"

"I see it!" She called back.

Just then a bolt of lightening flashed from out of nowhere and struck the wyrm in the face. Rather than dissipating, the gravity spell erupted from the wyrm's reach and exploded in a cacophonous droning roar.

The air around Wakka seemed to condense and blur out in all directions. He continued running as the shield spell blazed to life fighting back the crushing gravity force. It held for a few moments, but without warning the already weakened shield ruptured and the blackness engulfed the blitz captain.

He tried to let out a yell of pain but his lungs were too compressed to release air. All he could do was come to a staggering walk and try to withstand the immense pressured that pressed in on him from all sides.

Just when his head felt as if it would implode, the gravity spell completed and air rushed back into Wakka's lungs.

"You're going to pay for that, ya!" Wakka gasped as best he could.

He started running again, still shocked by the immense power of this fiend.

The wyrm had dropped back to the ground and was standing before Wakka with its tail poised in the air above its head.

Suddenly it began slamming its tail into the earth around it sending hunks of earth hurtling toward the sprinting blitzer. Dodging one he suddenly realized that another five were hurtling from above.

Just when he was about to dive to the side, a series of lightening bolts exploded into the hunks of earth and burst them into harmless showers of dirt.

"Good one Lu!" He shouted more to himself than to her.

In a few more moments Wakka was within range of the wyrm and unleashed his ball at its haggard snarling face. A moment before it hit, a mound of ice coalesced on its tail, distracting it so that the ball tore viciously into its left eye.

Yet another blood curdling screech echoed across the plains as it flung its head into the air and swung its ice block of a tail down toward Wakka.

He jumped just in time causing the ice to explode into the ground but a stray ice shard struck him hard in the side. Landing a few feet a way he looked down to see blood welling up from a gash. He doubled over, squinting in pain after catching his ball.

"Lucky shot!" Ignoring the searing pain, he dropped the ball and kicked it upward into the wings. In the next instant lightening exploded directly above him, blocking the wyrm's claws from tearing into him.

Another roar told Wakka that his ball had struck true and he looked up to see the entire left wing torn in half.

"That'll teach you not to try to burn me alive!" He said with a laugh.

He began running to the side to get in range to catch his ball but pain seared through the entire right side of his body with the first step.

"Damn it!" He yelled as he fell to the ground.

Knowing he was in trouble Wakka looked up just in time to see a set of claws scything toward him.

Before he could do anything a pool of water materialized directly in front of him and with a tremendous roar crashed into him washing him across the field.

Coughing and spitting moments latter, Wakka sat up to see the wyrm's feral gaze fixed on the black mage who had cast the waterga spell. His chocolate eyes widened in horror as the massive creature flung itself into the air, dwarfing the slender figure of the mage.

Wakka watched in amazement as a dark sphere of negative energy coalesced behind the wyrm wrenching it back in mid air and slamming it to the earth.

In the next instant the entire world seemed to go dark as a series of tremendous explosions and shockwaves tore into the prone figure of the wyrm, it's screeches of pain barely audible over the din of the ultima spell.

He could only sit in awe as he saw pyreflies begin to ascend into the air as the wyrm finally let out its last wretched scream. Moments later, Lulu was running across the ravaged field toward the limping Wakka.

"You're hurt." She said, grabbing him around the waste just as he stumble into her.

Wakka was shocked at his decreased reaction time and the haziness of his vision.

"Nah, I'm fine Lu," he slurred as the world began to spin around him. Looking down at his side he saw that his entire right pant leg was soaked through with blood.

The next thing he realized, he was lying in the grass and Lulu's ghostly face hung somewhere in the brightening sky above, tears glistening in her eyes.

He vaguely remembered shouting and the faces of more people gathering in his fading view. The last thing he thought he heard before everything went black were the words,

"Don't you leave me too!"

………………………………..

Ok so what do you think? Is there a place for descriptive fight scenes in this world is it just really boring? Please R&R so I know to continue or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, well I guess I've decided to continue my little experiment here, mostly thanks to Kathleen Dee I guess

Alright, well I guess I've decided to continue my little experiment here. This chapter doesn't have any fighting obviously so let me know what you think of my non-fighting work. Here it goes.

Chapter 2

Wakka woke up to find himself laying in a bed in a brightly lit room. His dark brow drew together in confusion as his groggy mind began to realize he wasn't in his hut back in Besaid. He moved to sit up but the effort sent a jolt of pain through the right side of his torso.

"Ow!" He lay back down and lifted up the blankets to see white linen bandages wound all the way from his hip to just below his chest. He suddenly recalled the battle with the sky wyrm and Lulu's distraught face drifting above him, her braids and tears falling onto his face.

_Lulu! I hope she's ok!._ He braced himself for the pain this time and pushed himself up just enough to scan around the room for the black mage. This time he noticed that the room was actually extremely nice, bordering on opulence.

Marble pillars supported the far side of the room, which consisted mainly of large glass windows that looked out onto a balcony that seemed to have a breathtaking view of the ocean from what he could see. The room itself was furnished with a polished marble sink, a small wooden table, a crystal chandelier and four plush chairs. He glanced around the room once then did a double take on what he at first mistook for a shadow in one of the chairs.

There sat Lulu, her exquisite face outlined by the reflected light the glittered off the ocean through the window behind her. By the time he noticed her, she was already up and walking toward him.

"Lie down," she placed a cool milky white hand on his chest and pushed him back down with surprising strength for her size. "You need your rest Wakka, you've been through a lot."

"How long have I been out?" Now he could see her face better without the glare of the sun silhouetting. He couldn't quite be sure, but her only visible eye seemed slightly redder than usual.

"About a day." Seeing the multitude of questions burning in his eyes she continued to elaborate on what happened after he had passed out.

"It would seem that quite a few Lucans witnessed our battle against the wyrm, considering it appeared so close city, it's no surprise that they feared an attack. After we finished it off, they came to help you and in honor of your sacrifice for the city, they supplied you with this suit in St. Luca Hospital which is where we are now."

"Sacrifice for the city, ya?" He said with a slight grin on his face. Lulu also seemed amused or perhaps bemused as she continued.

"Yes Wakka, it would seem that battle was recorded on sphere and has been in the news quite a bit."

"Oh really, ya. That's pretty cool." Lulu only scoffed at this.

"Don't you think we've already achieved enough fame after having beaten sin? I find this turn of events rather disconcerting."

"Oh come on Lu! You've got to live a little ya." He said with a huge grin across his tanned face, which Lulu could only shake her head at.

"Somehow I knew this would go to your head. This is exactly why I asked them not to put us in this suit on the top floor of the hospital. I told them you weren't exactly the high-class type."

"Hey! I know a lot about higher class stuff ya." Wakka retorted indignantly. Lulu raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Is that so? Would that happen to be the reason why you wore shorts and a blitzball shirt to the banquet of the Yevon Cup when you won last year?"

"Heh heh, well no one told me it was dressy occasion." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Valid point, Maester Mika probably should have informed you of that when he announced he would be in attendance." Lulu crossed her arms to make her point.

"Ok ok, you got me, sheesh."

"Anyway," Lulu continued as she rolled her eyes, "they've even come up with a nickname for us, it's actually quite embarrassing."

Wakka smiled at her consternation. Lulu was definitely not a nickname kind of person and he couldn't wait to hear what she would have to put up with for the next few months.

"What is it Lu?

"Hmph, they're calling us…" Just then the door to the room burst open and man wearing sunglasses and holding a microphone practically ran into the room.

"The sky wyrm avengers! I just couldn't wait a single moment after I heard that Sir Wakka was finally awake so I came right up here to host our first interview with the two legendary guardians who are now the saviors of Luca on top of that!"

Wakka was torn between laughing at the new, completely un-Lulu nickname and chagrin at how this man could possibly know that he had woken up when it was only he and Lulu in the room. He turned and gave Lulu a questioning look who only put her hand to her forehead and shook her head.

The strange man wore rather metropolitan Luca garb and had slicked back black hair which gave him the air of a very urbane individual but the sunglasses may have been a bit much.

A consternated nurse followed him into the rooms who was then followed by a sphereman (camera man but with spheres,) two photographers, a four man lighting crew complete with light stands, lighting umbrellas and special colored lights, and a small group of eager Lucan citizens who appeared to just be tagging along.

Suddenly the rather spacious hospital room seemed exceedingly cramped for the number of people that were trying to force their way in. Over the chatter of thrilled fans and the technicians the small nurse pushed through the crowed to apologize to Lulu and Wakka.

"I'm so sorry, I told him that there were absolutely no visitors allowed but he refused, kept saying something about needing to meet the legendary guardians." The young girl dressed in a white uniform looked between Wakka and Lulu and then settled on Wakka finding Lulu's gaze impossible to hold.

"Hey don't worry 'bout it, ya." Wakka said, enjoying the attention far too much.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself, I'm _Ky_, _sly_ as a _spy_ and I've got _my_ _eye_, on you two." The look on Lulu's face remained indifferent as she considered the rhyming reporter.

"Reporting is my _game_ and I _aim_ to _gain_ every thing I _can_ about the High Summoner's legendary guardians. So what's the _deal_? How did the Sir Wakka and Lady Lulu come about this _ordeal_?"

"Did you really just rhyme deal with ordeal?"

"What did you just say, all this rhyming is throwing me off, ya."

The nurse who was already extremely frustrated with his dubious dictations giggled to herself when neither Wakka nor Lulu responded positively to it. Letting out a sigh Ky began again.

"Look can you just tell me what happened?" He moved so that he was standing next to Lulu and over Wakka in his bed so that the camera could catch them all in the same shot.

Wakka looked up and saw Lulu's crimson eyes burning with aggravation at the reporter's audacity. He would have found it more humorous if he wasn't still in a considerable amount of pain from his encounter with the sky wyrm. He also understood how much Lulu truly disliked excessive attention.

"Look man, we're still recovering here, ya. Give us a break."

"_Just _a few words, you _must_. It'll _be_ a story bigger than the_ sea_. Don't _act_ so _wacked_." Wakka saw the subtle change in Lulu's posture from stun to kill and he knew he had to get this guy out of here now or the sky wyrm would have been the least of Luca's troubles.

"We'll give you an exclusive interview after we get out of here. Just you and me, all the details that no other reporter could dream of learning. But you gotta leave now, ya." Wakka held his breath. Ky the reporter slumped his shoulder, looking extremely put out.

"You drive a hard _bargain_ but I can see I won't _win._ But this'll be _great_, I simply can't _wait_, captain of the Besaid _Auroch_s, biggest losers on the _docks_, and the lovely magic _master_ of _disaster_."

"Hey!" Wakka tried to jump up and grab Ky for the insult but instantly fell back in agony. In moments Ky was gone along with his entourage of assistance and admirers.

"Vile information profiteer." Lulu breathed once the room was quiet again. "I don't think he realizes how lucky he is to be in one piece at this time."

"Ya, he should be thanking me for his life, even though I don't think he deserves it." Lulu turned to look at Wakka a slightly amused smile playing about her lips.

"You don't seem so thrilled about our media attention anymore." Wakka crossed his arms and grunted.

"Well I just don't think the news world can fully appreciate us Lu." Lulu smirked for real this time.

"My thoughts exactly Wakka."

……………………………….

There it is, I know, I feel like it was incredibly boring and a huge change to the intensity of the first chapter, but I guess I'm trying to set things up here for what's to come. Really, don't worry it's going to get better and I think we'll be meeting some more of the old crew very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

The moon shown brilliantly in the night sky and created a silver river of light across the water

Ok, I know my chapters are being really short, but I just needed to get this out because I've been neglecting this for way to long and I'm really sorry for taking so long. So here's another little tid bit to keep you going I guess. The next chapter will hopefully include the rest of the gang and will be much longer and more involved.

The moon shown brilliantly in the night sky and created a silver river of light across the water. A cool wind blew in off of the ocean causing the ornaments in Lulu's hair to clink together as she contemplated the lack of stars in the sky. This was definitely one of the reasons she didn't like the city quite so much as the country. The stars were far less vibrant here in Luca than almost any other part of Spira due to all the light pollution.

Maybe it was best that she couldn't see the points of light in the sky as brightly as she would like. It would remind her too much of that sky wyrm that almost got the best of Wakka two days ago. She had never seen the muscular red-head so vulnerable. Granted, there had been plenty of occasions in the past when Lulu had seen him down, like when Chappu died and even when he collapsed after his game against the Al Bhed Psyches during the pilgrimage, but this was completely different.

He had actually been on the verge of death and it was her fault. She had grossly underestimated that wyrm. She felt that she never would have miscalculated that badly during the days of the pilgrimage, but ever since the beginning of the eternal calm she had felt a lack of purpose which seemed to have lead to an extreme decay in her talents.

She couldn't accept this, especially while the image of Wakka's blood covering her hands was still fresh in her mind.

She sensed a warm presence moving toward her in the darkness. Being a mage had taught Lulu a lot about energy fields and she had been able to identify Wakka's happy glow ever since she had picked up her first spell book. Of course you didn't have to be a black mage to here a the heavy foot falls and labored breathing of the clumsy blitzer who stubbornly refused to stay in bed despite the near fatal wound in his side.

"You know you shouldn't be walking around yet. You're far from healed" Lulu spoke into the warm night air as she continued gazing out across the Lucan skyline toward the lit up blitzball stadium that seemed to float in the sparkling waters of the sea.

"I can't sleep, ya. Not with you over here thinkin so loud." He came up next to her and leaned against the railing to get a better view of the breathtaking cityscape below. Lulu noticed him flinch slightly at the change of posture from standing to leaning.

"I'm entitled to think as loud as I want when my best friend has nearly lost his life."

"Hey, don't say that Lu, I'm fine, no worries." The mage turned her dark countenance toward Wakka. She looked almost ghostlike with the moon illuminating only one half of her pale face.

"I'm sorry Wakka." He frowned and looked into her one crimson eye, which seemed to be glowing in the moonlight. For the first time he saw uncertainty in that one powerful eye, that was something he never expected to see there and was utterly at a loss when he did.

"Sorry for what Lu?"

"For almost losing you like I lost…" She trailed off and looked back out at the glittering ocean below. "Nevermind."

Suddenly she felt a strong hand grab her shoulder, catching her completely off guard. She look over to see Wakka pushing himself off the railing with an apparent effort and the brought his other hand to her other bare shoulder pulling her in to his warm embrace.

"Don't be sorry Lu. Chappu made that decision on his own no one could have stopped what happened to him. No one."

Lulu was so shocked that for a moment she just stood there, stunned by the maturity and wisdom of his words, and even by the shear power of his presence as it encompassed her. Then slowly she brought her arms up and wrapped them around his back. She couldn't figure out why, but suddenly all of her doubts were gone. The warmth that Wakka emanated seemed to flow into her for a brief moment and she felt genuinely happier than she had felt in a long time.

"Thank you," were the only words she could muster at that moment, and she felt that that was all that was necessary anyway.

Wakka slowly released his grip and Lulu felt a shiver run up her spine as his strong arms slid across her bare shoulders. At this point she was so confused that she decided to not even consider that for right now and to simply enjoy his company while she had it.

Wakka was looking back out at the stadium now.

"Can't wait to blitz again. I haven't gotten to play since the pilgrimage, ya"

"I suppose there will be plenty of time for that now."

"I know. It's pretty exciting, ya." He said with a boyish grin. Lulu looked at him out of the corner of her eye, musing at his ability to change so rapidly from a man to a child in the blink of an eye.

"Oh yea, so did you end up seeing that girl about the thing?"

"Not exactly Wakka, I've been a bit preoccupied with a certain blitz ball player."

"You and Keepa eh? I never would have figured on you two getting together." A smile played across his lips as he looked at the ghostly black mage.

"Hm, well the fact that he isn't half dead is rather appealing to a lady." Wakka's smile faded as confusion crossed over his face. Lulu didn't show it but she was equally as confused about her own flirtatious quip.

"Anyway, I need time to consider this new turn of events. The appearance of such a powerful fiend so near to a population center is rather disturbing."

"Huh, I didn't really think about it that way. Now that I think about it, I never have seen a really big fiend around Luca before, even when sin was around, ya."

"Exactly."

"Hah, it's pretty lucky that we happened to be here when that wyrm showed up considerin' how lazy the crusaders have been lately."

"Mm." Lulu continued staring out into the darkness trying to make out the constellations. _Was it luck or something more?_

"Lu? You ok?" Wakka said as he waved a hand in front of her face. She suddenly realized she had been spacing out while Wakka had been rambling on about blitzball.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I'm just tired."

"Yea, it has been a long two days huh? You'd better get some sleep ya."

"You're right Wakka. And you should too, for that matter."

"Alright then, it's a deal, I'll sleep, if you sleep." Lulu smirked a bit,

"It's a deal."

The two walked into the room from the balcony, which was cast in a bluish glow from the moonlight that reflected off of the ocean. Wakka slowly eased himself down onto the edge of his bed.

"Do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I just need you to get some sleep, and no more of that loud thinkin', it keeps me up/"

Lulu walked over to Wakka and gently pushed him down into the bed, her cool hands soothing against the bare skin of his chest.

"You first," she whispered as she released the sleep spell she'd been storing in her hand. Wakka didn't even know what hit him as his eyes became to heavy to keep open anymore and finally closed altogether. Lulu pulled the sheets over the sleeping blitzer and took in the look of tranquility that came over his face. _If only I could find that kind of rest._

She walked back over to the balcony to maintain her two day vigil over her injured friend. Nothing would ever harm him again, as long as she could control it.

………………………….

Hey, thanks again for reading you guys, and hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out faster, I've been really busy lately.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky as she walked between the blades of grass

Hey I know I haven't posted in months but I've been in the mood to write again so here I am. I'm going to make a really big effort to keep up with this from now on, but I've got tons of work with school. Thanks for the comments and I look forward to seeing more.

The sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky as she walked between the blades of grass. She could here birds singing as they called to each other from the copses of trees that dotted the field. Waves crashed in the distance and she could smell the salt on the air. She wasn't sure why but she felt an irresistible urge to reach the ocean. Something was waiting there that she was excited to see, something she hadn't seen in years.

She walked at her usual subdued pace but the more the sparkling water came in to view the more excited she became and soon she had quickened her pace. The grass brushed against her black dress as she moved through the blades. She playfully skimmed their fuzzy tops and smiled.

Before she new it she was full out running, and she could feel the grass scratching against her legs and began obscuring her vision. Her ebony hair had grown shorter and bounced across her shoulders while her clothes had shrunk in size and changed into the navy blue skirt and white blouse she used to wear when she was younger.

Now that she thought about it, she was younger. She was only about 4 years old and she began laughing with joy at the freedom lack of age afforded the mind. She didn't have a care in the world and she pumped her little arms and legs as hard as she could to reach the beach. It was utterly inconceivable how fast she was moving, the grass flew by in every direction and she threw her hands out to swat the blades as she ran by.

Suddenly she burst out on to the beach exhausted from running and laughing. She stood for a moment with her hands on her knees until she caught her breath a bit and then looked up to see what she had been searching for, for so long.

There, standing by the water stood a couple holding hands talking. The man had short cut brown hair and was tall and lean but very good looking and wore thinly rimmed glasses. He wore a plain white shirt and pants, nothing special. You could tell he was intelligent just by looking into his sharp blue eyes, which looked at everything questioningly, as if searching for and finding an answer in all that they landed upon. Everything that is except for the woman whose hand he was holding, when they fell on her they seemed lost and unsure, but for once contented not to have an answer.

While the man wasn't too bad to look at, the woman was utterly stunning. She had long ebony hair and milky white skin that contrasted so intensely that it made her seem ephemeral. To add to her supernatural beauty, she had crimson eyes that seemed to glow with the power that hid behind them. She wore a beautiful necklace of violet gems and a dark green dress consisting of endless folds, which seemed to hold all the secrets of the universe within them. Despite her intimidating appearance, she wore an infectious smile, which clearly spread to the man that looked at her so lovingly.

The two turned to the little girl who had finally decided to stop playing hide and seek and somehow made their already huge smiles even bigger. She laughed again and began running toward them only to stop dead as a sudden sense of dread filled her heart. The sky clouded over and the once inviting, sparkling waves became menacing dark behemoths that took hunks of sand with them every time they crashed into the surf.

For some reason she vividly noticed the alizarin colored spires of Bevelle slowly turn black in the distance as the sun was blotted out. She looked up to see that the ocean had somehow moved into the sky.

"Take her, keep her safe!" A blinding light flickered over her vision and she suddenly realized she was sitting in a chair.

Lulu cast her eyes frantically around the room, which was now brightly lit by the morning sun. Sweat coated her face and she was shivering considerably. _Was that… when my parents…?"_ She couldn't even bring herself to think it, and the truth was that she didn't actually remember how her parents had died. _Is it possible that I suppressed it?_

Tears slowly trickled down her already damp face as she recalled the horrifying memories her dream had stirred. How could she have forgotten that day.

Suddenly the door to the room burst open and Lulu's senses already having been heightened by her dream called forth a firaga spell and nearly incinerated the door along with the little Al Bhed girl who screamed in terror as she fell to the ground in terror.

Lulu only just extinguished it before it blew away the far side of the room, leaving only a slight cloud of smoke lingering around the ceiling.

"What did I do to deserve that you big meanie," Rikku cried out from her fetal position on the floor, still covering her head.

"Try knocking next time." Lulu said calmly, trying desperately to compose herself as she stood up to greet her friends.

She heard Yuna's light-hearted laughter coming from the hall behind the terrified Rikku.

"Don't you think firage is a bit over doing it Lulu?" Yuna walked into the room stepping over Rikku who still had yet to stand up. Lulu looked over the young girl who she viewed as a little sister. She still looked pale and worn even after three weeks of rest. Of course she knew that Yuna's ailment was not fatigue but a broken heart.

"Perhaps, but I guarantee Rikku will knock before she enters a room in the future."

"Only if I know you're inside it, geeze!" Rikku said as she slowly stood up and turned to Yuna.

"Hey Yunie, do I still have eyebrows?" Yuna laughed,

"Yes Rikku, although I think they would be the least of your concerns if that spell had actually gotten you."

"Heh heh, yea. Well that's certainly no way to greet your friends who came all the way to Luca just to see how you're doing!" Rikku walked into the room and began to look around.

"Wow! You two really hit the jackpot with this room." She began running around observing every detail of the luxurious hospital room.

"Look at that view! Is that chandelier real crystal? Ooh! Golden faucets! The shower is soooooo huge! Oh and the bed is so plush!"

"Rikku no!" Lulu commanded, but it was too late as she launched herself onto the bed where Wakka was still sleeping under the influence of Lulu's sleep spell, that is until Rikku landed on him.

"OOOWWWWW!" Rikku screamed in shock as she realized that Wakka was in the bed. The blitzer grabbed her with his powerful arms to hold her still so that he could see his assailant.

"Hi Wakka," Was all Rikku could squeak out in terror.

………………………………….

Moments later after Wakka had been sufficiently calmed down and Rikku was pried from his death grip, the strange crew of old friends were all seated by Wakka's bed.

"We came as soon as we heard about the wyrm attack on Luca. Of course the news didn't reach Besaid until yesterday evening so we decided to take the airship here first thing this morning." Yuna said looking from Wakka to Lulu, concern etched on her young face.

"We saw the whole fight on the sphere when we were on the airship flying to Luca! Lulu you were so cool, you saved Wakka's butt like 5 times and then blew the wyrm to pieces with that ultima spell. It's even cooler than when we fought Sin cause now everyone in Spira can see you annihilate that thing as many times as they want!"

Wakka almost jumped out of the bed at Rikku's remark.

"Hey that's not fair! I held my own in that fight! The wyrm just caught me by surprise a little, ya."

Lulu ignored Wakka's outburst.

"Rikku, I hardly find it 'cool' that everyone in Spira can view our battle against the sky wyrm."

"What you don't like being the Sky Wyrm Avengers?" Rikku smiled viciously.

"No, I do not."

"Hey, don't ignore me! Lulu only saved me twice and if it weren't for me the wyrm would have attacked her directly!"

"Ok, ok, you make a great meat shield, sheesh, he needs to relax." Wakka was now lunging out of the bed only to be shoved back down by Lulu who had anticipated this.

"Either way there is nothing that can be done about it now so we may as well forget about it and move on." She gave both Wakka and Rikku a meaningful look, lingering a bit longer on Wakka.

"Yea ok. But we still have some serious partying to do when I get out of here!" Lulu sighed and shook her head.

"Oh right!" Yuna stood up quickly, dichromatic eyes wide. "I nearly forgot, Wakka, if I may, could I have a look at your wounds?"

"Ah, they're just scratches, I'm fine see?" The blitzer sat up and hopped out of the bed only to shout out in pain and collapse to the floor, clutching his side. Both Yuna and Lulu stepped forward to help him back to the bed.

"Wakka, you will never learn will you?" Lulu scolded. "And yes Yuna, it would it would be a good idea for you to help heal Wakka's wounds."

"Yup, Yunies the best white mage in all of Spira, that's for sure," Rikku said.

After some more protests from Wakka, threats from Lulu and pleas from Yuna, the young high summoner finally was able to look at the blitzer.

"I know this is the best hospital in Luca, but I just know that I can help speed up your recovery with some magic," Yuna said as she bent over the deep gash in Wakka's side. The blitzer stubbornly refused to respond, frustrated that he had to admit he was as hurt as he was.

"Wakka, you should be grateful to Yuna for her help, she really is the best white mage I know of." Lulu stared into the blitzers dark eyes.

"I don't care, I'll be just fine ya. I don't need anyone looking out for me. Look at this cut it's nothing at all…" He gestured over to the area on his side were Yuna was bent over and stared in shock as he saw the gash was almost completely healed.

"That should do it Wakka," Yuna said cheerfully.

"Holy chocobos! I can't believe it!" Wakka jumped up and began walking around the room. "I feel better than ever. Thankz Yuna."

"I thought you weren't hurt in the first place there tough guy?" Rikku said as she gave him a quick jab in the ribs.

"Ow! That's not funny ya!"

…………………………………………..

Now that Wakka was back on his feet, the four friends decided it was time to leave the hospital as nice as it was and in a few hours and after Lulu had forced Rikku to put back the gold and crystals she had tried to steal from the room, they were back on the streets.

"I can't believe you wouldn't even let me take even on gold faucet Lulu! No one would have noticed!" Lulu gave the young Al Bhed girl a withering glare,

"Yes they would have and you don't need the money anyway."

"Hey that reward money we got for beating Sin isn't going to last forever you know!"

"Oh really? Last time I checked 1 billion gil is more than enough to live quite comfortably on for some time."

"Hey now that I'm a hero of Spira I've got some big spending to do!"

The small group walked down the streets of Luca amongst throngs of chatter people.

"We should find a hotel first if we plan to stay here for more than a day, which I assume Wakka and Rikku plan on doing."

"That's right, we're going to paint the town red tonight and you're going to have fun whether you like it or not Lulu!"

The black mage let out a small groan as they continued to shove their way through the eager masses who were trying desperately to catch a glimps of the high summonter and the sky warm avengers.

Alright so what do you think? We're back on the streets of Luca and the gangs going to party it up, will Rikku actually be able to get Lulu to cut loose? Yea I doubt it too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Preparations**

**So it took me long enough, but here's the next chapter. It's much longer this time, I'm pretty proud of my self for sticking with it and not trying to cut it short just to get it out there. Thanks to Kathleen Dee and Imagination 5 for not giving up on me and everyone else who's commented. Hope you like it.**

"HOLY MACHINA!" the young Al Bhed girl stopped in the doorway, unable to process all of the items she wished to either steel or play with first. "We hit the jackpot with this place!" Rikku was still torn between exploring the other rooms, checking out the view from the balcony on the far side of the main room, or jump on the plush furniture that adorned said room, when Wakka entered behind her, shoving her out of the way.

"Whoa, you're not kiddin'!" he exclaimed throwing his arm in front of his face in a warding gesture of shock. Yuna and Lulu would have entered behind the other two if their stunned figures weren't blocking the entrance.

"I'm truly thrilled that you two are so impressed by our accommodations but do you have to look so ridiculous in the process?" Lulu said dryly as she slipped between Wakka and Rikku. The room really was magnificent. Brilliant Lucan sunlight spilled through the French doors at the end of the room illuminating the ornately decorated suite. The walls were engraved and painted with traditional Lucan designs, which were reflected on the rugs that covered the stone floors. Overstuffed couches and chairs sat around the common room along with a few polished wooden tables. The corner of the room contained a mini bar with an ice box built into the wall, a granite counter, cabinets with glasses, and sink. A crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling refracting the golden sunlight into sparkling multicolored points that splayed throughout around the room.

Rikku, having finally recovered from her initial paralysis, went running through the rest of the suite, checking out the two bedrooms and full bathroom shouting exclamations: "These beds are soo huge!" "Did you see the sphere in the common area?" "More gold fixtures!"

After having checked out the entire suite the four friends stood in the common area.

"Wow, I can't believe the hotel let us stay in this room for free!" Wakka said as he looked around the room.

"Yunie is the high summoner after all, and we're her legendary guardians! We're pretty much super stars." Rikku sighed contentedly as she collapsed back into a sofa. Lulu crossed her arms and peered through the now open doors to the view beyond, ten stories above the city.

"It is a nice suite. I just wonder where we are expected to sleep with only two bedrooms for four people." Yuna frown and tilted her head to the side,

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Yunie and I can share a room!" Rikku jumped up and threw her arm around her cousin's shoulder, "It'll be like a slumber party!" Wakka laughed as he tousled Rikku's hair,

"Good luck getting any sleep with this ipiria fiend bouncing around the room all night," Yuna chuckled behind her hand as Rikku brushed his hand away indignantly,

"Hey! I happen to be a great bed partner!"

"Oh yeah? Says who?" The little Al Bhed gave him a cocky grin,

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Who? Your stuffed cactaur?"

"Don't mock Sparky! At least he doesn't take up the entire bed like you would fatty. Sorry Lulu, you can just use fire spells to keep him off your side of the bed." Wakka's eyes widened.

"Uh… what? We can't sleep together… er I mean, that didn't sound good…"

"Sure you can! You guys have known each other forever!" Rikku nudged Wakka in the ribs and winked, "Plus she ain't to hard on the eyes, eh?"

"No she's not! I mean she's really pretty but…" Wakka stopped and slumped his shoulders, "Oh brudda." All the girls were laughing at Wakka's extreme discomfort at this point, even Lulu.

"Calm down Wakka," Lulu said in her soft yet authoritative voice.

"Look I'll just sleep on the sofa, ya." They all looked at the two couches in the room, both of which were more than comfortable for sitting, but not exactly the proper size for a 220 pound blitzer to sleep on.

"It's fine Wakka, you don't need to get so worked up," Lulu said, neither revealing disdain nor overwhelming favor for the prospect of spending the night next to Wakka. She turned and walked into the next room, a small smile touching the edge of her mouth as she went.

Lulu wasn't sure whether she was smiling at Wakka's discomfort of something else. Either way it didn't matter, she had more important things to consider.

……………………

In the other room, Wakka had gone out to the balcony to hopefully hide the redness in his cheeks that he suspected everyone had already seen anyway. The cityscape below really was breathtaking though. He leaned against the railing, looking down at the bustling streets filled with the colors and noises of tourists and merchants alike that he knew so well. This was the Mecha of blitzball after all.

The blazing Lucan sun was approaching midday, causing the green and blue rooftops of the buildings bellow to glimmer in the heat. Wakka turned his head to the side to avoid the glare for a moment and looked at the balcony next door. A rather large, bulky man stood there leaning against the railing like Wakka. The red headed islander looked back over the city to the glittering ocean, when something struck him. _Was that?_ He looked back at the big man more closely who wore only leather straps across his bare chest, blue strips of cloths that zig zagged up his arms and baggy grey pants and had short cut brown hair. Before he could stop himself Wakka jumped up and pointed at him.

"Hey! Your that guy who guards Lady Dona!" The man turned to look at Wakka.

"And you're Wakka, captain of the Aurochs, who guards Yuna!" he said in his baritone voice. The two guardians stood staring at each other across the balconies for a moment, Wakka trying desperately to remember his name. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment,

"Ah, sorry, I don't really remember you're name, ya." The other man smiled a little,

"Barthello,"

"Oh yeah, I remember now… Wait if you're here than that that means…" At that moment a tanned, scantily clad Dona walked out on the balcony,

"What's with all this raucous going on out here?" Barthello turned to her,

"Uh, remember Lady Yuna?"

"Of course I do, she beat me to defeating Sin, how could I forget."

"Well, uh," he glanced over at Wakka who was still in a bit of shock. He wasn't really sure what to make of Dona, considering she had tried to ruin Yuna's pilgrimage multiple times and never really thanked them for saving her life in the destruction of the Al Bheds' Home. Before he could do anything, Dona flicked her eyes over to Wakka's balcony.

"Oh it's you, what was your name again?" Well she certainly had no compunctions about forgetting names.

"Uh… I'm Wakka."

"Right, the clumsy one. I remember seeing you on the sphere the other day. They're calling you and that black mage the Sky Wyrm avengers these days. Quite the name."

"Yeah, I guess." Wakka still had no idea how to respond to her.

"Well are you going to invite us over or not, I take it Yuna's here."

"Oh, yeah she is. I'll go get her, ya."

"Fine, we'll meet you at your door." Wakka slunk back into the room completely at a loss. Yuna was in her and Rikku's room unpacking the few clothes she had while Rikku talked to her a mile a minute. Lulu appeared to still be in her and Wakka's room.

"Hey Yuna," Wakka stepped into her room. She turned around with a shirt still in her hand.

"Uh, I don't really know how to say this, but um, Dona's here." Her dichromatic eyes squinted in thought for a moment then widened in surprise as she dropped the shirt to the floor and jumped up.

"Oh! Right now?" Someone rapped on the door three times in quick succession. He laughed nervously,

"Guess so." The young high summoner ran out of her room to the door, followed quickly by Rikku and Wakka, Lulu appeared on the other side of the common room.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd be seeing her again," Rikku exclaimed.

"I don't know what I'll say, what if she's upset?" Yuna stammered as she approached the door.

"Yuna," she spun around to look at Lulu who gave her a stern look, "remember, you have nothing to prove to her, just be yourself." Yuna stared at her for a moment then sighed,

"You're right, thanks Lulu." Turning around, she opened the door to find Dona and Barthello standing in the hall.

"Well that took long enough. I'm not used to being kept waiting." Yuna only smiled in response.

"Lady Dona, it's been some time." Dona looked taken aback, but only for a second and seemed to change her entire demeanor on a dime.

"Well you haven't come to visit me, I can't be expected to travel all over Spira chasing the high summoner. But it really is good to see you again." She stepped forward and gave her a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. A pleasant smile spread across her face.

"It truly has, please come in?" Yuna stepped to the side and gestured for the two to enter.

"Delighted, come on Barthello." Dona followed Yuna to the sofas and chair in the common area so that they could all sit down. Lulu sat beside Yuna on the sofa opposite Dona and Barthello while Rikku and Wakka took two of the cushioned chairs near the windows. Dona glanced around, a look of mild surprise etched on her features.

"Well, the high summoner certainly travels in style I see… And so you should, you've certainly proved yourself by bringing the eternal calm. Congratulations by the way, quite the accomplishment." Lulu maintained her composure, suppressing a smile. It seemed Dona was having trouble adjusting to being civil with them. But at least she was trying.

"Yeah, we really let Sin have it!" Rikku interjected as she pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand.

"Hmm, it was a bit more complicated than that." Lulu looked over at Rikku who only laughed in return. Yuna giggled as well,

"So what are you doing here in Luca Lady Dona? I believe Kilika is where you are originally from if I remember correctly."

"We're doing what everyone else in Spira has been doing for the past six months since Sin was defeated, partying." She said, letting out an uncharacteristically light-hearted laugh, "Oh and you can just call me Dona, no need for titles amongst friends right?"

"Right." Yuna genuinely smiled now, she never thought that Dona and her would actually be able to get along like this.

"It's settled then." They all looked at Rikku, everyone feeling as if they'd missed something. She unleashed her most infectious smile upon their unwitting eyes.

"What's settled?" Lulu was the only one with the presence of mind to actually speak up at this point.

"Dona and Barthello are taking us partying tonight of course. And they can show us all the best places." For the second time in the past two minutes Dona appeared to be at a complete loss. Lulu had to hand it to her though, she was quick on her feet.

"Of course you're coming with us tonight. How could I let the high summoner come to Luca without getting a taste of its famous night life." It seemed everyone in the room was unsure of what to say except Rikku who only seemed capable of committing them to even more plans with Dona.

"Woo Hoo!" The very excited Al Bhed girl leaped up from her chair and thrust her hand into the air, pointing skyward. "And first, we go shopping for new outfits!"

……………………

Half an hour later, a lecture from Lulu to Rikku about thinking before she spoke, and some quick preparations, the unlikely crew were walking through the bustling streets of Luca, on their way to the shopping district. Barthello walked slightly ahead of the group, plowing a path through the crowds, Rikku, Yuna and Dona followed close behind, while Wakka and Lulu brought up the rear. Barthello remained quiet and brooding as usual, while Rikku and Yuna mostly listened to Dona tell stories about her travels after she gave up her pilgrimage and Lulu and Wakka made their own conversation.

"I can't believe Dona is being so nice, ya," Wakka said in a low voice to Lulu so he could be heard by Dona, not that it was likely considering how loudly she was recounting a particularly dramatic story of how she saved an entire village from a swarm of bomb fiends single handedly. Curiously she didn't mention Barthello in the tale.

"She has no reason to bare Yuna any ill will. Dona may seem a bit shallow and petty, but she appears to be a essentially a good person none-the-less."

"Yeah, you're right, but that still doesn't mean she's not more annoying than a swarm of giant wasps, ya." The two laughed under their breath as they continued on their way.

Upon arriving in a small park at the heart of the shopping district the group stopped to decide on what to do.

"I say the girls go one way and the guys go the other!" Rikku suggested as she jumped up and down. Wakka immediately understood the implications of this. Being stuck with the hulking, silent Barthello for an entire afternoon did not fit his requirements for a fun day.

"Uh, why do we have to do that?"

"Because you have to be surprised when you see how amazing we look tonight. It'll be worth the wait Wakka, believe me." He folded his arms and scoffed.

"I don't know about that. I never seen an Impiria (Those lizard fiends that are really finicky and agile. You see the comparison right?) look good no matter how much you dress it up." Before he could even react Rikku had thrown a wickedly powerful punch into Wakka's stomach causing him to collapse to the ground gasping for air.

"That's what you get for calling me a lizard you big meanie!" Wakka had still not recovered from the hit when the petite Al Bhed suddenly transformed back into her usual effervescent self. "Ok, we all ready!" Wakka gasped again and looked up pleadingly at Lulu and Yuna,

"Lu, Yuna, you gonna let her get away with that?" Lulu shook her head and Yuna looked sympathetic.

"Comparing a girl to a lizard can bring about unfortunate consequences. You would do well to remember that."

"Yeah, that was kind of harsh, but you did have it coming Wakka." He looked up at them in disbelief as they turned to go. _Great, now I've got a stomachache and I still have to spend the day with Barthello, ya._

…………………………….

"You know, that was a bit excessive Rikku," Yuna said as they continued on to a clothing store Dona had suggested.

"I think a man needs to be put in his place every now and then," Dona interjected, tossing her hair to the side dramatically.

"That's right! He'll never call me an Imperia again!" Lulu only shook her head and gave Dona a look.

"She doesn't need any more encouragement you know." Dona laughed and looked at Lulu brightly.

"So you do have a sense of humor then. I was beginning to lose hope." Lulu wasn't sure whether to take this as an insult or compliment so she let it be for now.

"Here we are," Dona said as she gestured to the chic looking storefront. The manikins behind the glass wore miniskirts, slitted dresses, tube tops, high boots and various leather straps all over. Rikku was instantly enchanted and sprinted into the store while Dona followed close behind. Lulu and Yuna on the other hand exchange uncertain glances and entered slowly.

"Well… it's interesting." Yuna tilted her head to the side as if trying to figure out a puzzle.

"It certainly doesn't leave much up to the imagination." Lulu said in a somewhat amused voice. Yuna giggled behind her hand at this.

"Well I think it's simply stunning." Dona said as she walked behind Rikku to get the full effect.

"Yeah! Dona likes it! I can't wait for tonight!" Rikku yelled as she jumped up and down. She had just stepped out of the dressing room, the first to try on her new outfit. She wore a red and orange top that strapped over the shoulders and revealed her midriff, along with a short light blue skirt with yellow designs on the edges. Other than that she wore a few yellow and orange bands on her arms and a blue and green striped scarf for accents. It was the latest style in Luca, as Dona had assured her, and there was no changing her mind, so Yuna and Lulu decided it wasn't worth discussing.

"Ok you're turn Yunie!" Yuna smiled shyly,

"Um, I think I'd rather find something in another store if that's ok."

"Oh, you're no fun! What about you Lulu! Are you going to abandon me too?" Lulu cast a glance about the store.

"I have to agree with Yuna. Beside, if I'm going to pay for new clothes, I'd rather the amount of fabric be equal to the price." Dona already had something that she'd made Barthello buy her the other day so they moved on to another store in search of a less revealing clothing selection.

……………………

Meanwhile, Barthello and Wakka had already found things to wear for the evening, having walked into the first men's clothing store they saw and had the, excessively enthusiastic sales woman pick for them.

The two men walked down the street, pretending that the clamor of the streets was to loud to talk over.

"So… you want to just head back to the hotel then?" Wakka asked as they got back to the park where he had had the wind knocked out of him by the surprisingly strong 17 year-old Al Bhed girl.

"That sounds fine." They continued on down the street, the two large men easily cutting through the throngs of shoppers and salesmen. Wakka was still frustrated that he'd been left to deal with Barthello. He didn't have anything against the guy, he just didn't have anything in common with him and on top of that he didn't talk much in the first place. _Might as well try to start up a conversation anyway, ya?_

"So uh, how you been since Dona stopped her pilgrimage?" Barthello looked down at him, squinting as he usually did. Wakka wasn't sure whether he was unsure of what to say regarding his time after the pilgrimage or whether he was surprised that someone asked him to talk about anything at all.

"Ah, uh… I don't know, it was good I guess." A combination of both he guessed.

"Well, what'd you do?"

"Dona and I left the calm lands where you guys dropped us off and we traveled back to Kilika."

Huh, that sound good, ya."

"Yeah." Wakka struggled to think of something else to say.

"You do anything fun in Kilika?" Barthello looked off into the distance over the crowds.

"Dona and I helped the villagers rebuild some more… well I guess I helped and Dona told me what to do. But she helped organize people." He laughed a little. "She's good at telling people what to do." Wakka smiled.

"You said it brudda."

"She's a good person though." His stern face softened, to Wakka's surprise. "She helps lots of people where ever she goes, even if she makes it seem like she's done more than she actually did." Wakka wasn't sure what to say exactly. He had no idea Barthello actually thought so much about these kinds of things, or even that Dona had a nice side.

"I guess you guys work well together then, huh? She does all the talkin' and you do the fightin'." They both laughed.

"I think so. I heard someone say once that opposites attract, or something like that. That's kind of how I think of me and Dona, each of us does what the other can't." Wakka couldn't help but think about the battle against the sky wyrm a few days ago. They both had done their parts in the fight, even if Lulu had more firepower, he'd been able to do more accurate damage and even act as a distraction so that Lulu could finish it off. Now that he thought about it, he was happy that he'd been injured like that because in a weird way he felt like he was taking the damage for Lulu. _I'd do anything to keep her out of harm, ya._

"Cap'n!" Wakka was surprised out of his reverie when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. He spun around to see the two Auroch defensemen, the dark complected Jassu and the lighter skinned Botta, his shock of red hair pulled back in a short ponytail.

"What are you two doin' here!" Wakka shouted in surprise. The two men grinned at his disconcerted response.

"Is that anyway to greet you're two best players?" Botta exclaimed, throwing his hands up in mock chagrin.

"Ya! We ain't seen ya for almost a week and this is how you treat us?" Jassu added. Wakka laughed,

"Sorry boys, guess you missed my workouts, huh?"

"To no end, ya." Botta said as he pulled Wakka into a hug.

"I actually been havin' enough energy to stay up for the bonfires these days, ya. It ain't right." Jassu joked as he hugged Wakka next.

"Ah, well I'll just have to work you extra hard when I get back then, ya." Both blitzers slumped their shoulders in defeat.

"I don't think I'm ready to die, how 'bout you Jassu."

"I gotta agree with you there brudda. Maybe we should join the Ronso Fangs, I hear they only train once a week cause they got to travel from Gagazette every time."

"Hey now, I'm not havin' no blasphemous talk out a you two." Wakka folded his arms. "So what you guys doin' here for real anyway?"

"We came to get a few new blitz balls and an arm guard for Datto. Keeps complainin' that I been hittin' him to hard, ya." Jassu grinned.

"Plus we were kinda curious to see how you were doin'. We heard about the sky wyrm," Botta added. "You lookin' pretty good though!"

"Oh yea, Yuna came along and healed me better than any of those Lucan white mages could ever dream of. She may not have summoning anymore but she's got plenty of other talents up her sleeve."

"Yeah, she's always been an over achiever that one. Never any time for a boyfriend, maybe that'll change now." Botta said, winking at Jassu. Wakka wasn't sure what to make of that, but decided to ignore it for now.

"Anyway, we're glad to see you're better cap'n. We've got an appointment with that blitz supplier by the docks who always gives us discounts. We'll see you later though?" Wakka remembered that they were going out that night. His eyes lit up instantly.

"Oh yea! Yuna, Lulu, Rikku and… oh forgot to introduce you guys." Wakka turned to Barthello who had been standing, characteristically quiet the entire conversation, surprisingly unnoticeable for his significant stature. "Barthello, this is Jassu and Botta, boys this is Bathello." They all shook hands and exchanged greetings. "He used to guard a summoner we met on Yuna's pilgrimage and still does. They, and the rest of us, are goin' out tonight to some clubs, you guys in?" Botta and Jassu responded instantly.

"Absolutely! We'll definitely be there, ya!" Botta answered for both of them.

"Great, be at our hotel by 8 o'clock, ya. We're stayin' in the Luca Sunrise, suite 1005."

"Cap'n!" After a few more words the two Aurochs began to disappear into the crowd. Wakka turned around and shouted after them,

"And dress nice, ya!" causing a man to nearly drop his bag of vegetables who happened to be walking by at the time.

"Cap'n!" Wakka turned back to Barthello.

"Sorry 'bout that, ya. Ready to go."

"Alright." They continued on to the hotel that was visible now, looming above many of the other buildings on the crowded street.

"So you like blitz?"

"Of course I do! I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I've been a fan of the Aurochs since I can remember!" Wakka smiled. _Maybe I could get to like this guy after all, ya._

…………………….

**Alright, so we've got a night of partying and something weird going on with Jassu and Botta up ahead. Don't worry, we'll be getting back to some hard-core action, but first, lets have some fun. Hope to see some reviews, thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this took so long, but thanks to those who are staying with me, especially Kathleen Dee and imagination 5. I promise to keep it going.**

**Chapter 6: An Evening by the Sea**

The four women walked down the lavishly decorated hall of the 10th floor of the Luca Sunrise, conversation passing between them, although much of it was coming from Dona. Lulu walked a bit behind the rest, only responding when asked a question, but otherwise maintaining her pensive silence. The day had been fairly eventful. Rikku and Dona had established a strong rapport, which Lulu didn't particularly consider to be a positive thing. Perhaps she'd discuss that with the young woman later. She and Yuna had found sufficiently appropriate attire, although the newer Lucan fashions, which Rikku was bound and determined to foist upon them, were a bit less modest than she had remembered. She suspected that the collapse of Yevon had something to do with that.

She was tired and a bit irritable from being surrounded by so many people for such an extended period and was looking forward to retiring to her room for an hour or two to read. They were nearing the room now and she suddenly wondered how Wakka had done with Barthello for the past four hours. She did feel bad for having abandoned him with the stoically silent warrior, but he would survive.

The group reached the door and Yuna pushed it open only to be greeted by the sounds of yelling and screaming from within. _On second thought maybe he wouldn't survive._

"What's going on, it sounds like they're killing each other!" Rikku yelled as everyone stepped inside. To everyone's relief and surprise as well, they found the two men watching the sphere and celebrating something they'd just seen. Dona made the first inquiry,

"What is going on?" Without even turning to look at her, Barthello said,

"Shhhh! They're in over time!" Dona, clearly not used to being shhhhed by anyone, especially Barthello continued to stand by the doorway in confounded silence.

"Blitzball," Yuna said with a smile as she walked up next to Dona. "You shouldn't take it personally, blitz is what kept everyone's hopes up for so many centuries after all." Dona sighed,

"You're right." They looked on at Barthello and Wakka as they focused on the screen and nothing else.

"I guess they found something in common then." Rikku said cheerfully.

After the game ended, the men had returned to their normal selves, which meant less bursts of yelling and moments of concentrated silence.

"So how was shopping, ya?" Wakka asked as he sat down to the table across from Lulu. She picked up a her cup of tea and looked into it's golden brown depths, her vague reflection looked back at her, pale skin and dark eyes.

"It was… interesting."

"So you hated it that much huh?" A light smile touched the corners of her mouth on the translucent surface.

"It wasn't so bad, although Rikku is growing a little too fond of Dona for my liking."

"You gotta be kidding me. She's already loud enough as it is."

"My thoughts exactly, I think I'll talk to her about it later."

"Yeah, you tell her Lu." He looked across the room at Dona and Rikku chatting away as they sat on the couches. "Gives me the creeps just thinkin' about those two bein' friends. There'd be no end to the talking!" he said with a shiver. Lulu took another sip of her tea, nodding.

"So, you get somethin' good for tonight?" Lulu looked back down into her cup, remembering the traumatizing experience.

"Not exactly. Lucan style has become surprisingly… uninhibited." She looked up to see a puzzled expression cross Wakka's face.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind, let's just say I had to settle for something that's not quite my style."

"Uh, ok." Wakka scratched the back of his head. He was still curious but he knew that when Lulu said "never mind" she meant it. To continue would be asking for trouble, so he decided to drop it.

"I see you and Barthello have gotten along." Wakka grinned.

"Heh, yeah. Turns out he's actually a pretty good guy, once you get him to talk." He remembered the comment about opposites attracting, "He's not as shallow as he looks, ya."

"I guess I underestimated him." The two continues to talk for a bit until Lulu and the other girls decided it was time to get ready.

"What we still have an hour till we're supposed to leave, ya!"

"Exactly, we're cutting it close as it is," Rikku shouted as she ran into the bathroom.

"I don't get girls, ya. It only takes me like five minutes."

"This takes time." Dona said striking a slight pose as she was walking to the door. "Excuse me, I'll be back by 8, try not to miss me too much while I'm gone." And with that she left the room followed by Barthello.

"Like I could ever miss her." Wakka muttered. Yuna sighed,

"You shouldn't say things like that Wakka. She really is a good person… Even if she does talk a lot." They both laughed and Yuna exited to her room. Lulu had already retreated to their room, leaving Wakka alone in the common room. He slumped his shoulders and looked around,

"Wonder what's on the sphere."

After a good amount of bustling between the bathroom and rooms in various states of undress, during which Wakka was exiled to the balcony. The girls were prepared and Rikku peaked around the curtained door to look at the slightly miffed Wakka who had been ready for half an hour now. He wore a form fitting yellow and orange vest that revealed his powerful arms with dark green pants and of course his fish necklace and blue headband, which held up his lengthy orange flip up.

"Ooh looking good! We might have to beat the girls away from you tonight!" Rikku teased, unleashing a wicked grin. "I see you stuck with flip up, though" Wakka crossed his arms. He was neither in the mood for flattery nor mockery after his excessive time stuck outside.

"Yeah well, it's what the lady at the store picked out so I don't really care. What took so long, ya!" Despite Wakka's temper Rikku maintained her exuberant demeanor.

"Believe me, it was worth the wait. Prepare to be shocked and amazed."

"Whatever, just let me inside, ya." He grabbed the door to pull it open, but Rikku held it firmly shut.

"Hey, not so fast! We have to do this properly."

"What are you talkin' about."

"I'm going to present the ladies one at a time."

"Give me a break."

"Ok, I'm going to close the door and only open it after ten seconds." Wakka gave her an exasperated look.

"Just let me inside, ya. I've been at here long enough." He reached for the door, but Rikku slammed it shut and yelled,

"Ten seconds!"

"You gotta' be kidding me. Might as well do what she says. She already punched me in the stomach who knows what she'll do if I ruin her fashion show." He waited the allotted time and finally pulled open the door not know what to expect. To his surprise the elegantly decorated room was empty.

"Ok, what's goin' on." He heard conversation coming from Yuna and Rikku's room.

"Rikku this is ridiculous. It's bad enough that I have to wear this dress but I certainly don't think it's necessary to show it off."

"Lulu come on! You said you would!"

"I just said that so you would stop nagging me."

"Um, Rikku, I'm not sure I want to do this either."

"You guys are being no fun!"

At that moment there was a nock at the front door. _Must be Dona and Barthello._

"Wakka can you get that."

"I'm on it." He walked to the door and opened it to find Jassu and Botta, dressed in similar Lucan attire too his own. "Hey boy's! Didn't expect you so soon."

"Didn't want to keep our cap'n waitin', ya" Jassu said, giving Wakka a punch to the arm.

"Yeah, last time I was late to practice you made me swim 5 laps around the entire island." Wakka laughed, remembering his harsh punishments.

"Good point, wouldn't want to have to make you go swimming in your new clothes."

"Speaking of which, you're lookin' pretty sharp there, ya! Tryin' to impress anyone in particular?" Jassu said, nudging Wakka in the ribs. He laughed nervously,

"Nope, I didn't really pick it out, heh." He hadn't really noticed it because he was used to wearing few clothes when he went swimming at Besaid, but his outfit did show off a little more than he would have liked in public.

"You guys are lookin' pretty good to, ya." Jassu smiled,

"Yeah, I think Botta here's tryin' to impress someone himself." The red headed man blushed a bit and smiled.

"Eh, I don't know what he's talkin' about cap'n." Wakka was intrigued but before he could inquire, Rikku came bursting out of the bedroom.

"Ok I'm going first because they're too chicken!" The little Al Bhed girl stopped short upon seeing the two blitzers standing by the entrance. Her bright green eyes widened in shock,

"Oh.. uh. Didn't know you guys were coming." All three men stared in wonder at Rikku, who was currently looking significantly older than 17. Apparently everyone had lost the ability to speak at this point as a somewhat awkward silence ensued.

"That's it Rikku, I've had enough of these games." Lulu came storming into the room behind Rikku to see what was going on. The Wakka, Jassu and Botta were stunned all over again, to an even greater extent at this point.

Wakka in particular couldn't believe what he was seeing. The black mage wore a dark crimson, corseted dress that came just up to her chest and opened a bit at the top revealing a considerable amount of cleavage. Black and red sleeves extended down her arms and a black shawl with white lace hung across her alabaster shoulders. All in all she looked absolutely stunning and the three men stared shamelessly at her.

Lulu only slightly revealed her chagrin at being eaten up by their eyes, rapidly growing tired of it. She let out an impatient sigh,

"Well, I know this is all very shocking, but can you at least pretend not to stare?" Wakka, Jassu and Botta immediately began looking in other directions, suddenly becoming very interested in random objects around the room.

"You uh… look really nice Lu." Wakka stammered out with a tremendous effort. Lulu relinquished her harsh disposition in response to his effort to act normally.

"Thank you Wakka, you look very handsome yourself." He grinned like a fool,

"Oh, ah thanks, ya." The awkward silence resumed, Rikku still recovering from her visual overload. Then Wakka remembered,

"Hey, where's Yuna?"

"Oh…uh, I'm coming." She came out of the room looking a bit uncomfortable in her short indigo skirt and whit and pink sleeveless vest, her hair up so as to reveal her shocking dichromatic eyes more freely. Suddenly her anxiety melted away however, upon seeing Jassu and Botta.

"Oh, Botta, Jassu! I didn't know you two would be here!" She ran over and hugged each one in turn. "How have you been?"

Botta smiled brightly, replying,

"We been great, ya. How you been?"

"I've been fine. Luca is so much more crowded than I ever remember seeing it before, not even during the Yevon cup. It seems like all of Spira has come here."

"Yeah it's a big party and everyone's invited!" Rikku interjected, (not surprisingly.) "Well I know I'm ready! Let's get going." After Dona and Barthello arrived, that's what they did, Dona leading the way down the crowded streets toward the waterfront.

Soon the buildings gave way to the ocean beyond and they walked out on the brightly lit ocean side promenade. A soft humid breeze blew off the sparkling water, the lights of the moon and of Luca competing for control of the glittering display. The air smelled of salt and was filled with the sounds of people and music that emanated from the various bars and clubs that lined the street.

"Hey this is pretty cool, ya." Wakka said to Lulu. She looked around with her keen crimson eyes.

"It has its charm."

"Come on, lighten up Lu, this is gonna be fun." They continued walking until they came upon a club, the name displayed in sleek blue letters simply read, Blizzara. White and blue lights spilled out from the entrance where a line of hopeful club goers stood waiting. Dona marched confidently past the line to the bulky man who stood at by the door.

"So how's about you let us have a good time." She said. The guard stood little chance against her nearly scandalous outfit.

"Uh sure go right ahead." He stood back and his eyes widened as the party began filing through the door. "Hey you're high summoner Yuna! And her guardians!" Yuna stopped and gave him a smile.

"Yes, thank you so much for letting us in."

"Anything for the high summoner." He gave her a deferential bow as she continued on, the surrounding crowd also looking on in awe at this realization.

"This is going to be a long night." Lulu murmured to Wakka. He smiled and the two entered last. Vibrant blue lights shown down for the high vaulted ceiling of the club illuminating the dancers in the middle of the room. The powerful base of the music pervaded the atmosphere as well as the garble of conversation.

They began cutting through the crowds, Barthello plowing a path like usual and the rest following after. Faces pushed in and out of Wakka's view as they weaved by. Lulu, walking next to him, seemed so small amongst the jostling groups of people. Instinctively, he moved closer to her to make sure she didn't get touched. He looked down at her, the lights played across one side of her implacable face, the other side hidden by her raven colored bangs, while her braids streamed behind her like and inky waterfall. His eyes moved slowly down to the protracted v opening of her dress that extended down to her midriff, the flawless pale skin tantalizingly exposed to the light.

"Wakka." He snapped his eyes back up to her face to find himself staring into one powerful crimson eye.

"What exactly are you looking at?" The lights masked the deep shade of red his face had turned, but he couldn't hide the shocked expression he wore.

"Oh, uh, you got a new necklace, ya?" She looked down at her chest to see the same violet stones that she had worn all her life. Her eyes flicked back up to his; she made no reply. He gave a nervous laugh,

"Guess the light made it look different, ya." She shook her head and turned to look straight ahead again.

The group found to round table to sit at and all took a seat, Wakka still embarrassed sat at the other table to avoid more glares from Lulu. He found himself in the company of Rikku, Bathello and Dona, while Yuns, Lulu, Jassu and Botta sat at the other table.

"So, shall we get drinks?" Dona raised hand in the air and motioned over a young waiter who stood by the bar. Wakka doubted whether he was actually supposed to be serving their tables specifically, but apparently at the sight of Dona he felt he had little choice. He stumbled through the crowd and came to stand before them.

"We'll have a round of Kilika Sands, that table too." The waiter looked a bit dumbfounded and was about to say something but then gave up,

"Uh… yes ma'am," and walked off.

"What's a Kilika Sand?" Rikku asked, excited to be getting things started so quickly.

"It's a Kilika specialty, very delicious," she replied, "and very intoxicating," she whisper to Wakka behind her hand. He wasn't really sure what to make of that, but sat back to wait and see. He glanced over at Lulu's table, Botta seemed to be having an animated conversation with Yuna, who was laughing quite a bit, while Jassu seemed to be making a comment to Lulu who nodded in reply.

Wakka knew Jassu's reputation with the lady's and was therefore a bit wary of what he might be saying to her. Of course he knew Lulu was capable of taking care of herself and much to smart for any pick-up lines he might try on her, not to mentioned they'd all been friends for years in Besaid, but it still bothered him.

"Hey Wakka, the party's over here," Rikku waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Stop spacing out and have some fun. This place is so cool isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. I've never been to a club in Luca before."

"You serious? You have to come here all the time for blitzball, how could you not have gone out at least once?"

"Like you said, I was here for blitz, no time for foolin' around, ya"

"I can't believe you. You need to loosen up sometime, you know."

"Hey I have fun."

"Doing what? Practicing blitzball?" He paused for a moment, almost saying yes. "See! I'm going to make you have a good time and that's a promise." Rikku gave him her infectious smile and then looked across the table, "Ooh and here are our drinks." The waiter slid ornately carved glasses filled with a blood red liquid in front of each person.

"Enjoy."

"Thanks," Rikku said unleashing yet another huge grin. The young blond haired man smiled back and turned to walk back toward the bar only to stumble over a chair and almost drop his serving tray Rikku giggled and picked up her drink. She took a sip as did everyone else.

"This is so good!" Wakka had to agree, the fruity beverage tasted like nothing he had ever had before.

"I told you, aren't you glad you came with us, Barthello and I know how to have a good time, don't we Barthello." The big man smiled and nodded, taking huge gulp from his drink.

In a few moments, Rikku had finished her first one and waved over to the young waiter who she had now decided was rather cute.

"You think you can get me another one of these?"

"Of course," he said smiling, and began to turn.

"Hey, what's your name?" Rikku shouted across the table too him. Wakka suspected that the alcohol was already started to go to her head, she wasn't exactly a heavy-weight after all.

"Oh, uh, it's Kyle."

"I'm Rikku, it's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." He stood there for a moment longer until Dona snapped him out of it,

"I'll have another as well,"

"Oh, right," he turned to go only to have Dona call him back again,

"On second thought just bring another round,"

"Ok then," Kyle marched off to the bar again, even more clumsily this time, if that was possible, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"You don't waste time, huh?" Wakka said leaning over to Rikku.

"You gotta live in the moment, brudda.," she answered in a passable imitation of himself. He chuckled a bit and looked out at the dance floor.

"See any girls around here that strike your fancy?" He turned back to Rikku a bit surprised by the question,

"Uh, I don't know,"

"You don't know? What's that supposed to mean?" Wakka tried hard not to look over ar Lulu at this point, denying a thought that suddenly crossed his mind.

"I…uh… I just hadn't noticed, ya."

"Hmm, well I'll notice for you then." Rikku began scanning the room then nudge him in the ribs,

"Hey what about those girls over there?" she nodded her head in the direction of the bar where a group of three Lucan girls stood talking to eachother. He had to admit, they were pretty.

"Come on Rikku, I couldn't get those kinds of girls," he said, hoping to convince her to stop this nonsense.

"Wanna bet? Look again." He looked back over to see one of the women, a tall elegantly dressed lady, look over her shoulder at him. She had stunning green eyes that contrasted intensely with her vivid red hair, which was pulled back into a single long plait that fell down to the small of her back. Her form fitting emerald colored dress opened at the back, exposing her milky white skin to the bluish glow of the lights.

The moment their eyes met she turned her head back to her group who immediately began laughing.

"What so you say to that!" Wakka was at a loss for words at the moment and could only just manage a responsive grunt. At that moment Kyle retuned with their second round and began placing them on the table. Rikku leaned across the table and beckoned him to come over to her, a devilish grin on her face. Unsure what to expect the young man nervously moved around the table too her. Too his, and everyone else's surprise, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to her level so she could whisper in his ear.

After a moment she let go so that he could stand up properly. You would have thought he'd just one the lottery by the expression that he wore, but after a moment he composed himself and looked over to the bar and back at Rikku.

"Go on, hurry up/"

"Right," Kyle took off back to the bar yet again. Wakka glared at her, suspicion in his eyes.

"Rikku, what did you say to him?"

"Oh, nothing. A little of this, a little of that, you know."

"No I don't know. What is going on, ya."

"Patience Wakka, good things come to those who wait."

"Says the girls who can't asks out the waiter within the first five minutes of meeting him," he said crossing his arms.

"Hey, I just asked him his name is all," she replied indignantly. "Believe me this for your own good." He gave her another consternated look.

"What's for my own good, ya?" He was sting forward in his seat now, genuinely concerned about what Rikku was up to.

"Ok fine, see for yourself," she said as she pointed at the bar. At this point Dona and Barthello were intrigued as well and the entire table followed the direction in which Rikku's finger pointed to where Kyle was approaching the group of three women carrying a Kilika Sand. Wakka was mortified when the waiter held the drink out to the red haired woman and pointed in his direction. She accepted the drink and turned to look at him again, this time a slight smile spread across her lips.

She raised the glass to him and upon being jabbed in the ribs by Rikku lifted his glass in return. The woman then slowly turned back to her group, all three of them talking very quickly. Once he was certain she was no longer look he turned on Rikku.

"Why'd you do that, ya! I don't even know if I like her or not."

"And that's why you're going to find out." He put his hand to his forehead,

"I can't believe this is happening, ya."

"Suck it up you big baby, this is your chance to meet someone! And let's be honest, you're not getting any younger."

"What's that supposed to mean, I'm only 24, ya. Got plenty of time left."

"You're 24 and still haven't met anyone?" Dona asked only realizing to late how cruel that actually sounded. "I mean, it's wonderful that you're so… independent." It was a sloppy recovery but she had few qualms about being rude. Wakka was surprised she even made the effort.

He though about it for a moment. It was true, he had never had a serious relationship in his entire life. It'd never occurred to him before. Between blitzball, and being a guardian for two pilgrimages, he'd never really gotten a chance to meet very many people.

"Huh, I guess you're right. It is kinda sad."

"Oh come on Wakka, cheer up, this is your big chance." He wasn't exactly in the mood at all at this point, having just realized his complete lack of a romantic life up too this point. He continued brooding on the matter, all the while sipping on his drink.

For the next half hour he sat at his seat ordering a new drink every now and then, thinking about what could have gone wrong. He looked over at the other table to discover that all four occupants had mysteriously disappeared. He quickly looked glanced around the club but couldn't find them anywhere. He hadn't thought Lulu and Yuna would just leave like that without saying anything but so they had. Dona and Barthello had gone off to the other side of the club, presumably to dance and Rikku had struck up a lively conversation with her waiter friend by the bar.

He jumped up, confused at how everyone could have left without him noticing only to collapse back to his seat upon realizing that the room was spinning like a top. He hadn't even had that much to drink, what was going on. That's when he noticed the ten empty glasses that were strewn before him on the table. _Guess I did drink a bit more than I'd thought, ya._

Wakka had nearly regained his composure when he suddenly noticed someone pulling up a chair next to him and sitting down. He had expected Rikku but instead found himself looking upon the beautiful mystery woman he'd inadvertently courted a little while ago. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach suddenly became home to all the butterflies of the world.

"I was afraid you'd never come talk to me, so I decided I'd give you no choice in the matter." She gave him a reserved smile that mostly showed in her mesmerizing jade eyes.

"Good things you didn't cause I don't know how I'd be able to walk over there in the first place, ya." Her eyes lit up immediately,

"You have the most interesting accent. You must be from Besaid."

"That's right,"

"And I can see that you've been hard at work here," she said regarding the extensive selection of glasses and bottles laid out before them. "I suppose you must have quite a high tolerance."

"I don't know 'bout that. We'll find out when I try to walk home, ya." They both laughed. Wakka was surprised at how easily he was talking with her, although the alcohol was making it considerably easier.

"So what's your name?" She asked sitting back in her chair, her hands resting lightly on her knee. It was a strange thing to notice but she had incredible posture. It seemed to Wakka that she was incredibly refined, perhaps to much so to be interested in him.

"Uh, I'm Wakka,"

"I can't believe I hadn't noticed before, you're Sir Wakka, High Summoner Yuna's guardian, and," she added with a slight chuckle, "newly appointed sky wyrm avenger, if I'm not mistaken." He laughed,

"Heh, yeah that's me alright, sky wyrm avenger. It's a pretty goofy name, ya. But I'll take what I can get."

"Indeed."

"Oh and what's your name?"

"I'm Saphire,"

"Sapphire, huh?" He paused in through for a moment, regarding her red hair. "Hey, but sapphires are blue, ya." Suddenly realized how rude that sounded. "Oh, uh I mean…" She raised her chin and laughed.

"No no, it's quite alright. That's actually very astute of you, most people don't even notice the irony of my name." Wakka laughed, mostly out of relief. "I can't be sure why exactly I was named Sapphire, perhaps it was meant to be paradox." At this point Wakka was convinced that she was way to smart for him. Paradox? Irony?

"Hah, yeah. So where you from? Not from 'round here I think." He was even becoming self conscious of his colloquial accent, which he instantly gave up trying to mask due to his drunkenness.

"I come from Bevelle. I'm here in Luca on business. My friends convinced me to come out with them tonight even though I insisted that I should be focusing on my work." She smiled briefly and then looked out at the dance floor, "Although I'm glad they did." Wakka almost missed the significance of her comment and grinned foolishly when he caught it. She looked back at him, a curious look in her keen eyes,

"So, you defeated Sin." She laughed a bit, "I never thought I'd be saying that to anyone." Wakka smiled,

"Yeah, it wasn't all that bad. Just blew a few holes in it and beat him from 'de inside out, ya." At this point he was becoming a bit animated with his fighting gestures and nearly knocked a glass over. Sapphire grabbed the endangered glass and placed it on the other side of the table, a small smile touched her lips.

"I just want to say, thank you so much for what you and your people did. You had to sacrifice so much to achieve the impossible and all of Spira is forever in your debt." Wakka was a bit thrown off by these sobering words, (no pun intended) and rather moved by them.

"You know, of all the people who've crowded Yuna and the rest of us to talk to us, I don't think any of them have actually recognized how much we lost in the fight." He remembered all the Al Bhed and Ronso that died for them and of course Tidus and Auron, the two people who'd been the ones who ultimately led them to fight sin without the final Aeon and saved Yuna's life. He looked into her eyes,

"Thanks, ya." She tilted her head to the side, sympathy etched in her features.

"You truly are a good person." She leaned forward and placed her smooth pale hand to rest on top of his rough tan one. He looked down at the contrast between the hands and the shock of the contact. Sapphire noticed his apparent chagrin and began to pull it away.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" He gently grabbed her hand and held it still.

"No, it's ok, ya." They remained that way for a few moments and then their hands separated slowly. Wakka wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or what but he suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere with me?" For a moment she looked at him a bit shocked. He laughed, Not like that, get your mind out o' the gutter, ya," he teased. "I want to show you something." She laughed in turn and then looked around at the flashing blue chaos that surrounded them. Her friends didn't seem to be anywhere in sight nor did Wakka's for that matter. He stood up and held out his hand,

"Well?" She smiled.

"Why not." She took his hand and he pulled her up with ease. He lead her out of the club to the cooler air of the promenade. Wakka breathed deeply and sighed.

"Now this is where I belong, outside, ya."

"I have to agree. Large crowds aren't to my liking either." He looked at her, in the brighter lights of the streetlamps she looked even more stunning with her shock of red hair and high cheekbones which made her look almost like some sort of goddess. They walked down the street, Wakka expanding upon the battle with Sin and their adventures on the pilgrimage, Sapphire being very interested to here the details. Soon they'd arrived at the blitzball stadium, which was utterly silent and dark at this time of night.

"What are we doing here?" Sapphire asked as she peered up at the massive, looming structure, its towering walls and spires shinning in the light of the moon.

"You'll see, ya" They walked past the main entrance to a side door by one of the piers that was unlocked. He opened it and motioned for her to enter.

"How did you know this would be open?" she asked in wonder, her silky skin almost luminescent in the light of the moon.

"I've practically lived at this stadium for my whole life, ya. There's tons o' secrets that only us blitzers know." He gave her a sly grin, which she returned as she went through. They climbed a series of steps and passages until they emerged in the seating area of the stadium.

"What now?"

"We keep climbin', ya." He said mysteriously, pointing up to the wall. They reached the top of the seating area in the nose bleed section and then, as if by magic, he produced another secret door from the back wall.

"I think you know a little too much about this stadium," she said laughing as she went through. They climbed up a spiraling staircase until they came out to the top of the wall. Wakka exited the stairwell first, climbing out into the fresh night air, and helped Sapphire climb out as well.

"Aeons!" Sapphire gasped as she beheld a breathtaking view of the ocean and city, spread out under the star strewn sky. Lights danced everywhere, from the streets of Luca, to the rippled on the water to the jewel encrusted heavens above.

"I used to come out here to think, when I was stayin' here during tournaments." Wakka said as he stared off into the distance. "It reminds me of how the world is like one big sphere 'cause all the lights just surround you on all sides. Just… goes on forever, ya." Sapphire looked out into the endless expanse of stars and ocean, the horizon barely distinguishable.

"It's beautiful,"

"Like you," Wakka hadn't meant to say that and was extremely surprised when he realized he had. He turned to Sapphire to find her looking up at him. The lights colorful lights from the city played on one side of her face while the other side glowed like freshly fallen snow. She stepped closer to him, keeping her jade eyes fixed on his. Wakka wasn't sure what he was doing but the next moment he had moved closer to her so that he could feel the heat of her body against his skin. She reached up and touched his face, moving her soft hand across his cheek and prickly stubble on his chin. He closed his eyes against warm touch, letting the feeling wash through his body.

Opening eyes again he slid his hands across her back and drawing her closer into a kiss. Her lips melted against his and in a moment nothing else in the world mattered. The stars shone above and the ocean glittered below and the two strangers were locked in between.

**So who saw that coming? Please don't get too mad at me for Wakka's infidelity, I'm sure things are going to change around eventually. I'm going to try to get the next one out as soon as I can but I do have four papers to write before break so I'm a bit swamped. Thanks again and please R&R.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Night by the Sea II**

**So sorry it took me months to start writing again. It's been rather hectic with school work and all. And to add insult to injury this chapter is really short too. But I hope I haven't lost my faithful readers! I'll keep on writing no matter how long it takes me though.**

"So I said, 'These aren't hypello potions, they're chocobo feather's, ya!" Jassu doubled over laughing, having finished his anecdote. Lulu smiled politely and peered over his head to scan the mass of club goers on the dance floor. She couldn't see Yuna anywhere. Lulu knew she'd been drinking way too much, despite Yuna's best efforts to mask her inebriation. _I knew I shouldn't have let her out of my sight._

She knew that Yuna was capable of taking care of herself and was responsible for her own choices, but she still was the high summoner and an incredibly important political figure in Spira now. If anything were to happen to her… She cut off that line of thinking. They were in a club, not the omega ruins. It just bothered her that she couldn't sense Yuna's presence at all. Normally she was keenly aware of the situations of all her closest friends through her magic, but now her senses were completely overloaded with the blaring music, flashing lights and people who crowded around her.

In fact it was all she could do just to stay composed with everyone's elevated emotions ratcheting through her mind, like a radio receiver being bombarded by far too many signals.

"Hey Lulu, you alright?" She suddenly became aware that Jassu had been telling her another inane story, but was now frowning at her, concern etched on his strong tanned face. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she responded,

"I'm fine, I just need to find Yuna. I'm concerned about her." She stepped to the side to try to move toward the dance floor but he stepped with her, blocking her path.

"Hey, she'll be fine ya. She's a big girl." Lulu instantly became suspicious,

"I know that." She cast him a withering glare, which caused him to take a step back. "I don't care what sort of scheme you've devised with Botta so he could get her alone. She's too important to Spira and to me to risk her safety in this crowd for the sake of a childish game." Jassu's eyes shot open as wide as they possibly could, unable to hide his surprise at Lulu having seen through him so easily.

"Hey, look! It's not how it seems, ya. Botta really likes Yuna," he paused and looked down at his feet, becoming more sober, "He's always liked her, ya. But with her being a summoner and all, he never did anything 'bout it. I just wanted to give him a chance."

Lulu softened a bit. She couldn't blame him for trying to help his friend get closer to the girl he liked, but at the same time, that girl was Yuna and she'd gone through enough guy problems to last a lifetime.

"It's only been six months since the pilgrimage and I shouldn't have to tell you why she needs some time to recover from what happened." As she said this, she was slowly advancing on Jassu who was becoming increasingly nervous.

"Now step aside or face the consequences." He stood his ground for a moment, until Lulu grew impatient, placed a hand on his chest to push him aside and added a little blizzard spell that caused him to jump back into a group of dancing girls.

Without a second glance she proceeded across the dance floor, casting a scan spell to search for Yuna in the crowd. In moments she had located her position toward the center of the mass of dancing club goers.

"Shiva help me," she muttered as she began making her way to the girl amidst the swaying and spinning bodies that continually gave way for her as she was emanating an icy air about her. Suddenly, however, one of the bodies did not give way.

A man with unruly brow hair and dressed in a blue-green jacket cut in front of her path, causing her to nearly incinerate him on the spot. She restrained herself however and merely decreased the temperature in the air further to coarse him out of the way.

Instead of moving he spoke, his breath visible in the air.

"If I'd known the club management meant blizzara literally I don't think I would have come so willingly." Lulu was taken aback by his comment, surprised that he could so easily recognize her as the source of the ice magic.

"Who are you?" She asked, in no mood for games.

"So forward," he responded in mock surprise, an amused smile on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Lady Lulu, legendary guardian of high summoner Yuna. Gotta say, I didn't expect to run into you in a place like this."

Lulu was further thrown off balance by his implicit refusal to reveal himself.

"Should I know you?"

"Not in the least. In fact, if you did, I'd be suspicious of your reputability." She frowned at him for a moment, then responded.

"If that's the case then it's probably best that I don't get to know you any further." Instead of showing chagrin at her refusal to inquire further into his curious statement, his blue eyes flashed keenly and his amused grin broke into a smile. At that moment she was struck by his apparent ease and nonchalance, not to mention his undeniable handsomeness.

"Then it's a deal."

"A deal?"

"If you give me one dance then you don't have to get to know me." Lulu was still trying to figure this guy out. Who did he think he was to talk to her so boldly?

"I'll make you another deal. You can move," she stepped closer to him dropping the temperature to around twenty degrees, "or I can make you."

"You wouldn't want to make a scene now would you," he said, nodding his head to the side. Lulu glanced around and noticed that everyone within a ten foot radius had cleared away and were staring at the two contenders.

She quickly relinquished her control of the temperature and stepped back from the strange man.

"So what do you say?" he asked light-heartedly as if nothing had happened.

"One dance," she replied grudgingly. She couldn't believe she was doing this but she knew it wasn't worth the trouble to prove a point.

"I knew you couldn't resist me for long," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"This must be the worst pick up line I've ever been subjected to." She put her hand in his and they began walking toward the center of the dance floor.

"On the contrary, it seems to have worked just fine." She didn't have a chance to replie as the next song began to play. It was a popular up-beat song that had recently come out along with a plethora of other, eternal calm inspired works.

Lulu was caught off guard when her mystery partner pulled her into the opening moves of a Besadian dance that she knew all to well. She hesitated a moment and saw in his blue eyes and that ever present half-smile a tacit challenge. She paused a second to consider, _he thinks he can out-do me in a dance that I've known since I was little?_

She executed a deft twirl to the left and stepped in toward him to return the challenge. He smiled fully this time and then twisted around behind her and spun her after him so that they were face to face.

Finally the music picked up into its first chorus and they both commenced with the intricate foot work and quick movements of the dance to the beat of the music. Besadian dances typically involved various sequences of steps, twirls and twists and very little sense of personal space, the dance that this strange man had chosen was no exception. It was characterized by short moments in which the partners would slow down and move in toward each other followed by a quick succession of moves.

Lulu was amazed at how well her partner adapted to the rhythm of the music and flow of the demanding movements of the dance. Most of all, her surprise was in the way his hands caught her waist so smoothly and grasped her hands at various points.

He wasn't the slightest bit hesitant and his hold was gentle yet firm. She momentarily thought about how those hands couldn't possibly be that confident without some sort of experience. It only crossed her mind for a second but she was instantly embarrassed to have even thought it.

Her breathing became faster as the dance began to take its toll and she could feel herself becoming flushed. She began to focus more on the movements. She twisted behind him taking a step behind his back and sliding her hand across his chest, feeling the muscles working beneath the vest. In the next moment they were spinning, there faces only inches apart.

They separated again, spinning out and in, gliding across the floor. Before she realized it the song had ended and Lulu found herself clasped in his arms in the closing step of the dance. She felt his chest rise and fall against her back and the heat emanating from his body.

For a moment she closed her eyes and leaned into him, having forgotten the comfort of someone else's body against her own. For a moment she remembered the last time she had danced this dance, it had been with… She didn't even want to think it because of the pain she knew it would bring back.

With that thought she pulled away and opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that there was still no one standing within a ten foot radius of them and secondly that they were applauding and cheering.

She berated herself for being so imprudent and drawing so much attention to herself. This was the last thing she needed after the Sky Wyrm Avenger fiasco. She turned around to the man whose arms she had mistakenly gotten lost in.

"You've had your dance, now I have to go." He only replied with that maddening, imperturbable smile and stepped aside, gesturing for her to go. She stepped by, completely unaware of Yuna's location now, but desperate to get away from him.

"By the way," she heard from behind her. She turned around to look at him. "If you want to get to know me more, you can find me at dock 5." Lulu could hardly contain her disbelief at his incorrigible statement. Turning around she headed back into the crowd, ignoring the excitement that surrounded her.

She left the dance floor and found an empty table in a secluded corner and sat down. She needed a moment to think. It probably wasn't fair of her to act so coldly toward him after their dance, but those things he had made her feel had been too real.

It hadn't occurred to her at first but his light-hearted nature had reminded her of him, and how could she forgive herself for confusing her feelings between the two? She sat there a bit longer and then decided it was about time to begin her search for Yuna anew.

Before she even got up, however she saw a slightly clumsy Yuna being supported around the waste by Botta, approaching her, followed by Jassu who still seemed to be shivering a bit. Yuna's face lit up when she saw Lulu.

"Lulu! I saw you dance with that man, you were so wonderful!" She sat down in the chair next to her very slowly, clearly trying to hide the effects of her tipsiness. Lulu shook her head,

"I'm afraid everyone in the club saw that."

"That was really good Lulu! Haven't seen you dance like that since…" Botta paused a moment, "Since… uh… before you left Besaid for the pilgrimage, ya." He gave her a big smile, hoping she hadn't noticed his near reference to Chappu. She appreciated that he was trying but it still hurt. Ignoring it she said,

"Judging by Yuna's difficulty with sitting in a chair and Jassu's apparent on-coming sickness, I suggest we get going." It appeared she was right, Yuna was indeed beginning to sway dangerously between Lulu and Botta and Jassu was shivering more than ever.

"I'm feelin' fine, ya!" Jassu exclaimed throwing his arms into the air, only to wrap them around his body to keep himself warm.

"Right," Lulu gave him a look that could pierce steel.

"On second thought I am feelin' pretty tired. Maybe we aughta' hit the hay." Lulu smiled in response then looked around noticing that they were missing some people.

"Has anyone seen Wakka and Rikku?" Jassu and Botta both shrugged, Yuna gave an exaggerated puzzled expression then jumped up nearly knocking over the table.

"Oh, look at the dance floor." Everyone looked over to see Rikku in the middle of the club dancing with the waiter from earlier. A rather large audience had gathered around the two partly because of Rikku's fame but also because she was dancing quite provocatively in such a scant outfit.

"I didn't know the Al Bhed had a dancing style! I should really get in touch with my heritage." Lulu stood up next to Yuna,

"I don't think the Al Bhed taught her how to do that." This was getting ridiculous. Strange men were coming on to her, Yuna was drowning her sorrows, Rikku was making a spectacle of herself, the defense of the Besaid Aurochs was planning a conspiracy to get Botta and Yuna together, and where in Spira was Wakka?

"We need to leave now. Jassu, would you please retrieve Rikku, use any force necessary."

"Ma'am!" Jassu gave her a mock salute and jaunted off toward the dance floor, all to eager to avoid another blizzard attack.

"Botta, I need you to take Yuna outside to wait for the rest of us until I find Wakka. Looks like she needs some fresh air." She hated to entrust Yuna to him like this, but she had no choice and she knew he really would take good care of her."

"I resent that Lulu. I'm perfectly capable of walking on me own." She turned to go and nearly ran right into a pillar. She stopped for a moment and stared at it incredulously. She then turned around to Lulu and pointed at it,

"I swear the wasn't there before. I think someone's trying to make me look foolish."

"I don't think you need any help with that right now." Yuna stared at her for a moment trying to figure out what she meant by that when Botta took her hand.

"Uh… we'll be outside then, ya." He pulled her away and Lulu began to cast another scan spell, this time to find Wakka. She could feel the lines of magic rippled across the room, rebounding off the club goers and walls. Every note of the music intensified, snippets of conversations slid through her mind and vague images moved past her eyes. She was searching for Wakka's warm presence, the sound of his voice, the gentle waves of his thoughts.

It was always so soothing to feel his aura, even if she never told him that and she was really looking forward to finding him again. After a few seconds she began to wonder why she wasn't sensing him. She intensified her search, mentally pulling on the cords of magic that now enveloped the room, tightening them to increase their clarity. More images poured into her head as the magic vibrated more powerfully, still nothing came back.

Frustrated she gave one last nudge sending out an intense wave the caromed throughout the room sending echoes from every mind they touched. She felt nothing and realized he must no longer be here. Retracting the spell, she opened her eyes.

Suddenly she realized that many people had stopped dancing and the music was no longer playing. Everyone was looking around in confusion, some holding their heads and others crouched over as if they were going to be sick.

_Guess I over did it._ Lulu decided it was definitely time to leave now, having scan shocked everyone by accident. She rushed to the exit and found Yuna, Botta, and a defeated Rikku hanging over Jassu's shoulder across the street.

"You told him to do this didn't you Lulu!" Rikku shouted in frustration. "This isn't fair!"

"I think you've had enough fun for one night," Lulu replied coolly. Rikku gave a frustrated sigh.

"You can put me down now, Jassu."

"You promise not to try and run away again?" She rolled her eyes.

"I promise." Slowly Jassu set her on the ground where she stood pouting.

"Where's Wakka? I saw him earlier talking to a beautiful woman," Yuna said as she stared dreamily across the sea. Lulu furrowed her brow,

"You're surprisingly observant when you're drunk."

"I already told you Lulu. I'm not drunk." She spun around only to fall into Botta's arms. "Oh, thanks," she giggled. Lulu decided she'd talk to Yuna about this later, for now there was something else on her mind.

"A beautiful woman hmm?" Lulu felt her heart rate increase a tiny bit. If he had met a woman and they were now both gone…

"Well, Wakka can take care of himself. If he's left the club then we can't be expected to wait for him." She noticed Botta and Jassu exchange looks.

"No need to get upset, I'm sure the cap'n has a good reason," Botta said.

"Yea, I can think of good reason, ya." Jassu said, nudging Botta in the side. Lulu turned to face the other direction to hide the blush she knew was spreading across her cheeks. _Why should I care what that fool does?_

"Well, we'd better head back then. Wakka can do what he wants." She began to march down the avenue, followed by a her motley entourage.

**Well thanks for reading, hope your enjoying the story. And I hope you're not too angry with me for getting Lulu and Wakka's relationship off to rocky start so soon, haha. Please review and thanks again for staying with me.**


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